How Madigan's public actions benefit private clients

January 21, 2010

In his rise to the pinnacle of Illinois politics, House Speaker Michael J. Madigan built a reputation for wielding control over every bill, every budget line and every Democratic representative elected to oversee them.

Away from the public eye, the state's ultimate power player enjoyed a similar rise in his private career: rainmaker for one of Chicago's most successful property tax law firms.

In a first-of-its-kind examination, the Tribune found these two careers repeatedly intersect, and in some cases Madigan took public actions that benefited his private clients.